Damsels and Dragons Monday

Over the past few days I have been taking some pictures of the Damsels and Dragons down by the pond. That's damselflies and dragonflies, of course.

At times it takes a bit of patience, but some of the pictures are really good even if I say so myself. In fact, I've taken so many pictures it is hard to pick out my favorites. I decided I would go with posting a few pictures at a time so I would not overpower you with my photographic brilliance, lol.

One interesting result of taking the pictures is that I have been able to study some of the habits of the various dragonflies and damselflies. Although they share much in common, the different species have very definite patterns. In a way they are like birds. Most birds are obviously very similar to one another in many ways, but each species has its own habits and idiosyncrasies. They have different nesting preferences, seek different habitats, eat different types of food, and may have different flight characteristics. It appears that damselflies and dragonflies are much like that. The different species have their own way of interacting with the world.

Take this dragonfly for instance. It is fairly common around the pond. I seldom see two close to one another so it may be that they are a bit territorial. Also, they do not seem to be quite as shy or fearful as many of the others which means there are more chances to take a decent picture.

For perching they typically select the larger limbs and sticks very near the water's edge, usually about 6"-18" above the water or at times a nearby bush up to 3'-4' feet off the ground/water. They seem to remain at rest a little longer than many of the other species.

I really liked that particular picture because of the reflections of the sun on the wings. You should open the picture to its full size to appreciate the detail of this beautiful creature.

While dragonflies seem to prefer bright sunlight, damselflies such as this one seem to prefer a bit more shade or areas with a lot of green leaves to rest on. This was one of the very first pictures I took of a damselfly and this one happened to be in the sun, but was on the a very leafy plant. It has an amazingly long, dainty body . (Once again, this picture is best appreciated in the full view.)

Check back each Monday for more Damsel/Dragon pictures.